Student leaders representing 14 colleges and universities from throughout the country released a joint statement this month to guide the public discourse of elected officials and their constituents.
“Ten Tips to Improve Civility” was issued throughout Pathway to Civility, a national conference of college Democrats, Republicans and independents. Here are their recommendations:
Ten Tips to Improve Civility
1. Listen to opposing views.
2. Seek shared values.
3. Acknowledge the legitimacy of opposing positions.
4. Identify the issue at-hand, focusing on it instead of on larger conflicts.
5. Avoid political caricatures, labels and generalizations that may not really represent the views of your adversaries.
6. Accept that disagreement will exist without giving up your personal convictions.
7. Clarify what is being mentioned just before attacking and/or responding.
8. Recognize the value of solutions beyond those offered by conventional party platforms.
9. Contemplate the consequences of what you say and do.
10. Hold yourself personally accountable for your very own political actions.
The college students developed the list in the course of one particular on the culminating activities of Pathway to Civility hosted May perhaps 18-19 by the Center for Political Participation and the Civic Engagement Council at Allegheny University.
“The conference was really interesting,” said Amanda McCann, a political science major at Indiana University-Purdue University and vice president from the College Republicans on her campus. “It changed my perception of civility, definitely deepened my understanding of the concept.”
The conference was a pilot program on the Center for Political Participation, which has been at the forefront of national efforts to examine civility and politics and to enhance communication between young Democrats, Republicans and independents, based on Daniel M. Shea, political science professor and director with the Center for Political Participation.
“Our idea was to encourage college students from both sides with the aisle to operate together to examine the severe issue of civility in politics, establish a high bar for the respectful exchange of ideas, and, from the method, perhaps begin to develop some lasting friendships,” Shea explained. “We were pretty impressed each with the students’ passion for issues and with their determination to function together to develop opportunities to reach consensus where possible. Civility, it appears, may possibly be a single of those areas for agreement.”
U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa. – 3rd District) was the keynote speaker. She acknowledged that the 111th Congress has faced unprecedented incivility, particularly from the throes from the national health care debate. “It’s been eye-opening for me to see,” Dahlkemper told the students, adding that she herself had been the object of threats following her “yes” vote for wellness reform. “The excellent news I have to offer is that there truly is civility in Congress except that it does not make the nightly news cut,” Dahlkemper added.
Based on Shea, the need for a conference on civility emerged as the American health care debate turned ugly this past year. The robust political activity that surged among youth inside the 2008 election already has substantially declined, Shea said, and several young Americans have turned away from active political engagement.
Matt Lacombe, an Allegheny senior pursuing a double-major in economics and political science, additional, “I hope our conversation will continue on Facebook, maintaining each its passionate yet civil tone and allowing students to participate from various parts of the nation.”
Conference participants included college students from Allegheny University, Louisiana State University, Catholic University, Central Michigan University, Macalester University, Chatham College, Hiram College, Indiana College – Purdue College, Slippery Rock University, SUNY Fredonia, Thiel Higher education, California University of Pennsylvania, Winthrop College and also the University of Florida.
Late last month, the Center for Political Participation released outcomes of a study on civility and compromise in American politics, “Nastiness, Name-Calling, and Negativity,” which revealed widespread concern over the deterioration in the tone of political discourse.